Years of early practices, late-night games, and shared victories have transformed the FHS soccer team into more than just a roster. They’ve become a family. For the seniors stepping off the field one last time, it’s not only the competition they’ll miss, but the brotherhood they’ve built along the way.
“My favorite part has probably been getting to be a part of a family, a great group of guys all together. I love playing at home and getting to play in front of the fans and our families,” said Wyatt Parlier, Grade 12.
The seniors are all going to miss playing, whether it’s because of showing up, the competitive part of the game, or just getting to play a game with their friends.
Like with Christian Vasquez-Cruz, Grade 12, “I’d say just the competitive part and just being able to compete with your friends and stuff like that.”
It’s not just the seniors that are going to miss playing, but the underclassmen that they have played with that have looked at them to teach and guide them how to get better. They have all taught the players not to give up and showed them the mentality of staying strong, even if you lose a game, to get back up and not quit.
“I feel like just the fact that they’ve been here for that long and through all that not quitting. I feel like just keeping that mentality whenever I go through my high school season, having that no quit mentality, and I’m just going to miss the friendship. Honestly, I’ve had such a connection with all the seniors from tennis to soccer. I’ve just always connected with the seniors,” said Drew Hodges, Grade 10.
Or maybe it’s their humor, personality, and chemistry that the players will miss.
Cameron Lyons, Grade 11, said, “I’ll miss their jokes and stuff. You know there’s a lot of jokesters on the team that I’ve been with for a while. I’m going to miss the chemistry we have, the jokes, and everything on the bus.”
The seniors all believe in the future of the team, feeling they will go far long after they graduate, and can’t wait to see how far.
“I think it’s looking good, the middle school team has been to the conference championship probably 7 years in a row now. The team coming up is better than we are to be fair. I think they have a chance at winning the state championship in the future,” said Parlier.
The players, from seniors to freshmen, all had advice for the next generation of players at FHS.
Parlier said, “I’d tell them to just keep with it no matter what cause the end goal will be worth it.”
“Things won’t be easy at first. It’s going to get hard and there’s going to be some times you’re going to want to quit but there’s so much good that can come out of it,” said Hodges.
